Disposable Christmas tree stand

ABSTRACT

A disposable Christmas tree stand consisting of three separate, substantially identical bracket members each formed from highstrength steel wire and adapted to be secured to and cooperate with the base of a Christmas tree to provide a highly stable support for the tree with the base of the tree spaced above the floor. The bracket members provide maximum support against twisting or turning movement of the tree, and are shaped to permit the base of a tree to be positioned in an open container of water on the floor to prolong the life of the tree.

United States Patent l 1 [I u 3,888,438 Mizelle 1 June 10, 1975 DISPOSABLE CHRISTMAS TREE STAND Primary Examiner-William l-l. Schultz [7M lnventor: Ned W. Mizelle, 902 Sedgewick Ln.,

'7 {Li Filed A disposable Christmas tree stand consisting of three [21 Appl. No.: 461,468 separate substantially identical bracket members each formed from high-strength steel wire and adapted to be secured to and cooperate with the base of a Chris- 248/48 248/165 tmas tree to provide a highly stable support for the I A475: tree with the base of the tree 5 aced above the floor [581 Field of Search 248/44. 46, 47, 48 165 The bracket members provide maximum support [56] References Cited against twisting or turning movement of the tree, and are shaped to permit the base of a tree to be posi- UNITED STATES PATENTS tioned in an open container of water on the floor to 87l.(l50 l l/l907 Vogt 248/48 prolong the life of the tree, 1.923.794 8/l933 Noland .r 248/48 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DISPOSABLE CHRISTMAS TREE STAND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates to Christmas tree stands. and more particularly to a safe. reliable Christmas tree stand formed from high-strength steel wire and which is both economical to manufacture and easy to use.

2. Background of the Invention Christmas tree stands manufactured from length of wire or steel rod are well-known in the prior art, and generally take the form of three or more independent wire brackets each adapted to be attached to the tree at spaced points therearound. or three or more such brackets held in assembled relation by other structural members. Examples of the independent wire brackettype stands may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 87 l .050 and l 923.794, and examples of the assembled brackettype stands may be found, for example. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,943,269 and 3.610.558.

Despite the comparative low cost of the known prior art wire frame Christmas tree stands, they have not met widespread commercial acceptance for numerous rea sons. For example. while most ofthem have been capable of supporting the tree against falling, they nevertheless have not provided the degree of stability to win the confidence of the public. This has been particularly true with respect to torsional stability due to the inherent flexibility of the wire or rod members in torsion and bending and due to structural designs which generally have not utilized the available strength of these members to maximum advantage. Other disadvantages have included the inability to adequately water a tree supported in the stand due to interference from the wire rod members. and the tendency for the stands to set unevenly on the floor where more than three brackets were employed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a wire frame Christmas tree stand which overcomes the defects of the prior art devices and which is both safe and easy to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Christmas tree stand formed from high-strength steel wire which is economical to manufacture and which provides maximum torsional stability for the Christmas tree. and which permits placing the base of the tree in an open-topped container of water to prolong the life of the tree.

In the attainment of the foregoing and other objects of the invention. an important feature of the present invention resides in providing three substantially identical bracket members each formed from a relatively small. high-strength rod member such as a high carbon spring steel wire which is preferably zinc coated, such wire being commercially available and frequently used, for example. in the furniture industry. The individual lengths of wire have a generally U-shaped bend formed intermediate their ends to provide a floor engaging foot portion and a pair of upwardly extending arms. The first arm extends at an angle of approximately 45 with respect to the supporting floor and terminates at its top end in a gooseneck-shaped portion including a horizontally extending. sharpened point adapted to be driven directly into the trunk of the Christmas tree.

The second arm extends in slightly diverging relation with respect to the first arm to a height sufficient to provide clearance for a water container. or approximately one-third the height of the first arm. then horizontally and terminates in a reversely bent hook portion including a generally vertical downwardly extending shoulder portion adapted to abut against and extend along the trunk of the tree at its base. a horizontally extending base portion extending radially beneath a portion of the base of the tree. and an upwardly extending prong adapted to be driven into the end of the tree trunk to retain the heel in firm contact with the trunk. By retaining the heel of the hook'shaped portion firmly against the trunk of the tree. relative twisting or torsional movement between the bracket and the trunk of the tree is prevented, thereby utilizing the bending resistance of the lower arm as well as the upper arm to provide torsional stability for the tree. Also. by extending the heel upwardly along the trunk of the tree. adequate space is provided to position a conventional open-topped container beneath the tree trunk to provide water for the tree without the bracket interferring with the sides of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description. taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a stand according to the present invention employed to support a Christmas tree;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation. on an enlarged scale, view of one of the individual brackets shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a portion of a Christmas tree trunk supported by the bracket;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating a modified version of the bracket employed to support an artificial Christmas tree; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a molded plastic shoe employed on the individual brackets.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings in detail. a Christmas tree I0 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as being held in an up right position with its base 12 supported in an open container 14 by a wire frame tree stand consisting of three substantially identical wire frame brackets l6 each firmly attached to and cooperating with the tree base to complete the stand. The individual wire frame brackets 16, illustrated on an enlarged scale in FIGS. 2 and 3, are formed from a length of galvanized high carbon spring steel wire. The diameter of the wire may. of course, vary in accordance with the size of the trees to be supported, with a wire diameter of about 5/32 to 3/16 inches normally being sufficient to support the most popular sizes of trees used in homes or the like when high strength spring steel wire is employed.

The brackets are formed from a length of steel wire having a generally U-shaped smooth bend 18 formed therein intermediate its ends to form a rounded foot which engages a supporting surface 20 during use of the stand to support a tree. Extending upwardly from the U-shaped foot portion 18 is an upper arm 22 normally disposed at an angle of approximately 45 with respect to the floor 20 and terminating at its upper end in a generally gooseneck-shaped portion including a short vertical segment 24 and a short horizontally extending spike portion 26 having a pointed end thereon to facilitate penetration of the tree trunk. in use. the section 26 is driven directly into the tree trunk by striking the vertical section 24 with a hammer or the like until the section 24 firmly contacts the tree trunk.

The lower arm of the tree includes a segment 28 extending upwardly from the foot 18 in generally parallel or slightly divergent relation with respect to the inclined arm 22 and a horizontal section 30 which extends from section 28 to a point generally below the vertical section 24 of the upper arm. The lower arm terminates in a upwardly open hook-shaped portion in cluding a vertically extending arm 32 adapted to lie along the base 12 of the tree 10 and a horizontal por tion 34 adapted to extend radially beneath a portion of the base. The book terminates in an upwardly directed spike 36 adapted to be driven into the end of the tree trunk. The spike section of the hook is preferably sharpened in a manner to firmly draw the vertical section 32 tightly against the tree trunk as the spike is driven into the base. Horizontal section 34 has a length which is substantially less than the radius of the average tree trunk to be supported by the bracket for reasons pointed out hereinbelow.

Referring to FIG. 3, it is seen that the configuration of the lower arm, including the upwardly inclined section 28 in the horizontally extending section 30, supports the base of the tree in vertically spaced relation to the floor 20, and provides ample clearance for a rela tively large, open-topped container 14 to be positioned under the base 12 to supply water for the tree. This arrangement also assures that a portion of the weight of the tree is supported by both the upper and lower arms of the bracket.

Referring to FIG. 5, a shoe member 40, preferably formed from a slightly resilient molded plastic material, is adapted to be mounted on the foot 18 of the individ ual brackets to provide greater bearing surface for the stand. This shoe 40 is particularly desirable when the stand is used on a resilient surface such as a carpeted floor where additional bearing surface is desired to provide stability for the tree. The shoe 40 includes an enlarged base 42 and an upwardly extending attaching portion 44 having a slot 46 integrally formed therein and dimensioned to resiliently receive the curved foot portion 18 of the bracket and be retained thereon by frictional contact. The shoe may be readily removed when desired.

A modified version of the bracket is shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the upwardly extending arm 47 is substantially identical to that described above, with the exception that the horizontal end portion 48 is not sharpened. and a radially extending hole 50 is provided in the trunk 52 of the artificial tree, with the opening 50 being dimenstioned to receive the section 48 in tight frictional contact. Also. since it is unnecessary to provide water for an artificial tree. the lower arm may consist of a single inclined segment 54 terminating at its end in the hook portion which. again, may not have its inner upwardly extending end portion 56 sharpened but rather adapted to be received within a vertically extending drilled opening 58 formed in the base of the tree trunk. The drilled hole 58 is positioned in a vertical plane containing the axis of the horizontal opening 50, and is spaced radially inward from the periphery of the trunk 52 a distance less than the radius of the tree trunk. The horizontal section 60 of the hook is dimensioned to retain the vertical heel portion 62 in firm contact with the outer periphery of the trunk.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, it is apparent that the horizontally extending end of the upper arms of the bracket which penetrates the tree trunk provides a firm anchor for the upper arm to transmit compression loads to the arm resulting from a tendency of the tree to fall over. Also, any twisting loads tending to rotate the tree about its vertical axis will be efficiently transferred to the upper arm as a bending moment. In this respect, applicants tree stand is similar to that shown in prior US. Pat. No. l,923,794; however, contrary to the prior art devices, applicant also provides means for firmly anchoring the lower arm to the base of the tree in a manner to transmit torsional loads to the lower arm as well as the upper, thereby effectively doubling the resistance to torsional movement. These torsional loads can result from uneven loading on the brackets tending to cause lateral buckling of the bracket arms themselves. Thus, loads tending to tilt the tree in one direc tion can produce torsional loads which tend to rotate the tree about its vertical axis. with the rotational movement tending to produce further tilting movement of the tree. This action is effectively overcome by rigidly anchoring both arms of the bracket to the tree trunk in a manner capable of transmitting torsional loads from the tree trunk tp the bracket arms as bending moments.

While I have disclosed and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 wish it understood that I do not intend to be restricted solely thereto, but rather that I do intend to include all embodiments thereof which would be apparent to one skilled in the art and which come within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A Christmas tree stand comprising three substantially identical bracket members each adapted to be attached to the tree in generally equally spaced relation therearound, said members each being formed from a single elongated piece of metal rod bent intermediate its ends to form a depending loop defining a foot for engaging a supporting surface with the end portions of the rod extending from the loop at an acute angle relative to one another, one of said end portions extending upwardly and inwardly toward the tree and terminating in a short inwardly directed section adapted to pierce substantially radially into the trunk of the tree at a first point spaced substantially above the base of the tree, the other of said end portions extending upwardly from said loop and inwardly toward the tree and terminating in a downwardly depending upwardly open hook including a first vertically extending section adapted to engage the trunk of the tree at a second point interme' diate said first point and the base of the tree and to ex tend from said second point along the trunk of the tree to said base, a second vertically extending inwardly spaced section adapted to penetrate said base, and a radially extending portion joining said first and second vertically extending portions and having a length less than the radius of the smallest tree to be supported thereon, said radially extending portion and said sec ond vertically extending portion cooperating to support a portion of the weight of the tree and to retain said first section of said hook in firm contact with said tree trunk said hook being spaced above the level of said foot whereby said tree base is positioned above the sup port surface.

2. The Christmas tree stand as defined in claim I wherein said one end portion terminates in a generally gooseneck-shapcd portion including said inwardly directed section and a short upwardly directed section. said inwardly directed section being pointed to permit it to be driven into the trunk ol" the tree by striking said upwardly directed section.

3. The Christmas tree stand as defined in claim 1 wherein said second vertically extending portion of said hook is pointed to permit it to be driven into said base of the tree.

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4. The Christmas tree stand as defined in claim 3 wherein said other end portion includes an upwardly and inwardly inclined segment extending from said loop and a generally horizontal segment joining said upwardly and inwardly inclined segment and the top of said vertically extending segment of said hook whereby said base of the tree and said hook means may be positioned in an open container of water without interference from said bracket members.

5. The Christmas tree stand as defined in claim 4 wherein said bracket members are formed from high carbon spring steel wire having a diameter of about 5/32 to 3/16 inches 

1. A Christmas tree stand comprising three substantially identical bracket members each adapted to be attached to the tree in generally equally spaced relation therearound, said members each being formed from a single elongated piece of metal rod bent intermediate its ends to form a depending loop defining a foot for engaging a supporting surface with the end portions of the rod extending from the loop at an acute angle relative to one another, one of said end portions extending upwardly and inwardly toward the tree and terminating in a short inwardly directed section adapted to pierce substantially radially into the trunk of the tree at a first point spaced substantially above the base of the tree, the other of said end portions extending upwardly from said loop and inwardly toward the tree and terminating in a downwardly depending upwardly open hook including a first vertically extending section adapted to engage the trunk of the tree at a second point intermediate said first point and the base of the tree and to extend from said second point along the trunk of the tree to said base, a second vertically extending inwardly spaced section adapted to penetrate said base, and a radially extending portion joining said first and second vertically extending portions and having a length less than the radius of the smallest tree to be supported thereon, said radially extending portion and said second vertically extending portion cooperating to support a portion of the weight of the tree and to retain said first section of said hook in firm contact with said tree trunk, said hook being spaced above the level of said foot whereby said tree base is positioned above the support surface.
 2. The Christmas tree stand as defined in claim 1 wherein said one end portion terminates in a generally gooseneck-shaped portion including said inwardly directed section and a short upwardly directed section, said inwardly directed section being pointed to permit it to be driven into the trunk of the tree by striking said upwardly directed section.
 3. The Christmas tree stand as defined in claim 1 wherein said second vertically extending portion of said hook is pointed to permit it to be driven into said base of the tree.
 4. The Christmas tree stand as defined in claim 3 wherein said other end portion includes an upwardly and inwardly inclined segment extending from said loop and a generally horizontal segment joining said upwardly and inwardly inclined segment and the top of said vertically extending segment of said hook whereby said base of the tree and said hook means may be positioned in an open container of water without interference from said bracket members.
 5. The Christmas tree stand as defined in claim 4 wherein said bracket members are formed from high carbon spring steel wire having a diameter of about 5/32 to 3/16 inches. 